Mother Nature's Intern

I think Winter has a problem.  It's stuck.  I think it actually froze itself and can't get loose, sort of like my neighbor's car down the street who figured he wouldn't clear his car after the first storm but would wait it out through all three snow storms plus the ice storm we've had in the past two weeks.  That car just isn't budging.  It's hopelessly ice-locked, gears frozen in spite of the owner's efforts.  Mother Nature let the cute intern touch a few too many pretty buttons and sat back for too long watching his adorable backside while she failed to notice that he forget to press a few important buttons in the process.  He forgot to warm the car once in a while, so to speak. 

In Connecticut, the snow just isn't melting.  Temperatures aren't rising except to tease us, as if Mother Nature's intern is drinking hot cocoa and chuckling because he's on easy street.  It's not like he and Mother Nature really have to endure this weather, right? They don't have to deal with -18F at the bus stop with wind chills to boot.  They don't have to go out West where it's much, much colder, although once you get into the negatives does it really matter how much colder it gets?

I want to see that snow melting because it's a sign that winter is moving on.  Where I live, the temperatures have been stuck to the point where they're not even hovering around the freezing point (32F) so the sun isn't even nudging anything to melt.  This makes it feel like winter is at a standstill.  One snow storm piles up after another and the snow doesn't go anywhere... the streets just get narrower and the snowbanks get higher and there are fewer places to push the snow.  It's not even fun to play in any more because of the ice storm that was tossed in there.  I think the only ones having fun are the ski resorts.  They're booming in business.

My kids were layered and bundled at the bus stop this morning, and were only outside for ten minutes.  It was -4F for us at 8:20 AM.  Warm boots, warm pants, long shirts, sweaters, warm coats, warm gloves and hats plus their insulated hoods... and still my 8 year old was crying and I was afraid her tears would freeze.  My 10 year old was complaining that her fingers, buried in thick knitted woolen gloves, were painfully cold, and we'd only been outside for five minutes.  I kept them moving and walking, and told them to hold their gloved hands over their noses and to breathe into their gloves so their warm breath would warm their hands and faces.  The bus was late, probably due to the cold, so instead of a five minute wait it was ten.  Several schools were actually closed this morning because their buses wouldn't start.  Schools without heat couldn't open. If the temperatures are below 21F (or at the discretion of the teachers if above that but still below freezing) the children are not allowed to play outside at recess. 

Sitting here typing away, the temperature has warmed to a lofty 12F.  It's taken all day to reach it.  I think this calls for a casserole for supper and Mother Nature can't have any.  Take that, Mother Nature!